The Demon And The Dork
by GBlove
Summary: Takes place a month after iLost My Mind. Sam is abandoned by her mom, and makes Freddie swear not to tell anyone.
1. Chapter 1

The July sun glared down on Freddie Benson as he made his way up the porch of his longtime friend, and more recently his girlfriend, Sam Puckett. Behind him, his mother's parked car sat on the curb, as he couldn't afford his own wheels yet. He'd been up the stairs of the Puckett porch quite a few times in his day, but in past experiences, he had only been going because Carly dragged him. Now, he went because he liked being with her. When he first met her, Freddie thought Sam was some kind of demon in human form, sent to earth to make his life miserable. But over time, they became friends despite their endless differences, and after five years of hatred, they ended up in love. She wasn't what you would call the conventional girlfriend, but then again, nothing about Sam's personality had ever been close to normal. Stepping through the mess of dead leaves and garbage on the chipped wood floor, Freddie grasped the screen door handle and yanked it open.

Inside, he wasn't surprised to find Sam sprawled out on the couch, fast asleep, in the middle of one of her many afternoon naps. Not fearing he'd wake her up, due to her being an extremely heavy sleeper, he pulled his shoes off, tossing them aside, and made his way to the kitchen to get out some bacon, which he knew would put his girlfriend in a good mood, which was always good news for him. A few months ago, he was completely unaware that Sam had developed any other feelings for him besides hate. And honestly, he didn't really know how he felt about Sam until two days after she had kissed him at the lockdown. That's about how long it took him to process everything that had happened, and once his head was on straight, everything became clear. He loved the demon. She, of course, thought she was out of her mind for liking the dork. But once they got her out of the mental hospital, things got better between the two. Carly, having secretly wanted them to get together for years, helped push them closer in their weak moments, or when Sam felt the need to torture her favorite nub. Eventually they agreed that talking about it a million times wasn't getting them anywhere, so one day Freddie showed up at Sam's house, and declared, "Come on Puckett, we're going on a date." Sam being Sam, couldn't resist making fun at him a little for his cute, but geeky attempt at being spontaneous, but nevertheless, they went out to dinner. And so it began. So what if they were both crazy? As Freddie saw it, if she was insane, he was insane.

Freddie knew that there were only three things on the planet that could wake up Sam Puckett. And one of those things was hot bacon. And not missing a beat, Sam jolted up out of sleep, just as Freddie was certain of, and bounded into the kitchen. Now bacon was something she loved, but when she saw Freddie standing there making if for her…well, there was no need to explain the way that made her feel. He flashed one of his heart stopping grins when he saw her, and swooped down for kiss as she stood on her toes, something they had both gotten quite good at. She plucked a piece out of the skillet and bit off a rather large chunk.

"Mmmm…you make good bacon, boy." She praised him while she chewed. That kind of thing, coming from Sam, was a major compliment. He began to say something, but she interrupted. "And I'll be needing lots of in now that my mom took off." She said this casually, as if she were discussing their next iCarly episode.

Freddie stopped flipping the meat. "What? What do you mean, 'took off'?". Sam just nodded and continued on in her casual tone, "Yep. She ran off with some trucker, or apple picker, or something. Hey, focus Benson! You're burning my bacon!" When he just continued to stare, his eyes shocked, she rolled her eyes and shoved him over. "Oh, just let me do it," She said, grabbing the spatula out of his grip. "Amateur," She muttered. Freddie crossed his arms.

"So you're saying she just left you? Completely just left?"

"Yes, Fredward. I think I made myself perfectly clear."

"Just…left. With an apple picker? Who runs away with an apple picker?"

"I don't know! It's my mother we're talking about."

"She just ran away with some dude and left you here alone?"

"What is wrong with you? Do you think it's your hearing or something?" She grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "MY MOM IS GONE!" She yelled in his face. "SHE LEFT. BYE BYE. GONE. NOT HERE ANYMORE. GOT IT?" She turned back to the bacon.

He seemed to come to his senses about then, and spun her back around. "Well...then what are we doing here cooking bacon? We have to tell someone!" She flicked his forehead. "You tell someone, and you will not see the light of day for a very long time, you hear?"

He crossed his arms once more and gave her his best, brave look. "You don't scare me," He said, his voice shaking slightly.

"Oh. Sure. And your mother doesn't clean out your ears monthly." Freddie rolled his eyes.

"Sam, let me help you."

"No, I'm serious Freddie. You better not tell anyone."


	2. Chapter 2

To say Sam was stubborn is an understatement. Freddie was well aware of this. He also knew that he couldn't give her any pity, or she'd feel embarrassed and shut him out. He had to make it seem like she'd be doing him a favor, by letting him help her.

"Sam," He started to say, "What do you expect is going to happen if this stays a secret?" Sam threw her arms up in annoyance at his words.

"Well I…! Well…nothing's going to happen!" Freddie raised his eye brows at her struggle to find words. "And you know why? Because you're not going to tell anyone."

"Come on, Sam. You know I can't keep a secret. And it's really…uh, mean of you to expect me to keep in something like that! Bet you weren't thinking about my feelings when you told me that secret, now were you?" Freddie tried his best to look offended. Naturally, Sam saw right through him.

"Oh, good job Freddork! Cute little act you came up with. How long did you practice that?" She shook her head at him. He just gave her a puzzled look.

"Um, you just told me, so I didn't really have much time to rehearse."

She groaned. "Oh, shut up Freddie! Why can't you just be stupid and agree with me on everything like all the other guys I ever dated? Why do you have to be smart?" If there was one thing that got under Sam Puckett's skin, it was when people outsmarted her in a conversation. Although, there was only one guy who had ever really been able to do that. Freddie affected her in ways that no one else could. He made her seem more human. Less Demon.

"Look," Freddie said, "We could argue about this all night but we're wasting time because—."

"We both know I'm going to win, so why bother?" She interrupted him.

"Where do you think you're going to stay?"

"My mom walked out on me Fredwina, not my house."

"Sam you're not sleeping here alone."

"You're not the boss of me."

"You could get robbed! Or Kidnapped! Or both…"

"Doubt it. My mom's probably dated all the burglars and kidnappers in the area…trust me, they don't want to come back here. So, I think I'm set, Benson." She smiled, and added, sarcastically, "But thank you for your concern."

"What are you afraid of?" Freddie said, out of the blue, and catching both Sam and himself of guard.

"Nothing," She said, a little too quickly. "Maybe I just don't feel like be sent to some shelter!"

A light bulb went off in Freddie's head. So that's what she was worried about. "Sam…you don't have to do that. If you tell someone, they can track down your mom, you know. And if that doesn't work, Carly and Spencer would let you live with them in a second."

"Yeah, I know they would, okay? It's just…it's not always up to them. I could get sent to some place for kids without parents. And I couldn't do anything about it."

Freddie tried to take her hand, but she smacked him. "Don't touch me," She snapped. "I never gave you permission to go all sappy on me."

"Whatever," He said, "I wouldn't let you get put in some shelter, Sam! You just have to trust me."

Sam glared at him. "Why do you think you're the only one I told?"

"I…,"He couldn't seem to find any words, "Okay, fine. I won't tell anyone." She sighed with relief. "But," He said, and she groaned loudly. "Go ahead and groan! You're still not sleeping here all by yourself."

She put her hands on her hips. "And you're _still _not the boss of me. I've slept here alone before. This probably won't even be permanent. Her boyfriend will eventually dump her, and she'll come running back here."

But Freddie didn't back down. "I said I wouldn't tell anyone. But on one condition. You sleep at my place."

Sam had to bite her lower lip in order to keep her self from smiling. "Whoa there Freddie…we've only been dating a month. I mean, isn't it common courtesy to wait at least three months before blackmailing me into sleeping with you?"

"Oh, you know what I meant!" He said, impatiently, "But, seriously. My mom won't even notice. She's been working night shifts a lot at the hospital lately, so she probably won't even be there most of the time." He shrugged, doing his best to keep the situation casual for Sam's sake.

She, too shrugged and just said, "Okay. I'll stay with you until I find someplace better." They played it cool, but Sam knew as well as Freddie, that they were both giddy like schoolgirls on the inside.

Freddie was relieved. For now, he had things somewhat under control. Would it all eventually blow up? Probably. But Sam's problems became his problems the moment he kissed her live on air, in front of the whole world. Even before that, really.

And then, surprising him, she muttered, "Thanks," Before giving him a brief, but tender kiss.


	3. Chapter 3

After their talk, Sam and Freddie hung out for a few more hours, just the two of them. They had done many things in the month they had been a couple, but above all they laughed a lot. It seemed that they could make anything funny by simply just being together. After grabbing some dinner at Sam's favorite fried chicken joint, they decided to go see what Carly and Spencer were up to. Freddie didn't bring up Sam's situation once after their disagreement in the kitchen. In the car, they bickered about what station to play on the radio, Freddie told Sam not to hang her head out the window like a dog, and she accused him of driving too slow. And then she laughed at his singing along with the radio like only Sam would. Every time something even a tiny bit funny happened, one of them would draw it out until they were both in tears from laughing so hard. At one point on the drive over, Sam, with her bare feet propped up on the dashboard, was trying to make up a rap about Freddie's mom disciplining him, to the beat of the Eminem song that was playing. It was like nothing out of the ordinary had happened that day.

She laced her fingers with his as they entered Bushwell Plaza, and came face to face with Lubert, on one of his usual rants. This time he was screeching about his strict no 'PDA in the lobby' rules. Sam just pulled some of her leftover chicken out of her back pocket and used it as a bat on the side of his head, knocking him out. Then she proceeded to eat the chicken, offering some to Freddie, but he refused to eat anything that had touched Lubert. Sam shrugged, and they continued on their way up to Carly and Freddie's floor.

They had both gained so much from their relationship, already. She taught him how to pick a lock(although he wasn't nearly as fast as she), knock someone out using only a roll of paper towels, and forge any voice or signature. In return, he forced her to do better in school by helping her with homework and studying (she complained the entire time, but secretly loved any time they spent together), covered for her when she got herself into trouble, and was usually the one to get her out of bad situations, like the one she was currently stuck in. But most of all, they just brought out the best in each other. Sometimes the worst, but mostly the best. Because they were in fact Sam Puckett and Freddie Benson, they still fought, and fought often. But their arguments had become more lovable than vicious. Most of the time.

They were about to turn the knob of the Shay apartment when they heard a rattle coming from behind them, and out jumps Marissa Benson, from Freddie's place.

"Mom?" Freddie exclaimed, stepping back in surprise.

"Freddie! What are you doing touching that…delinquent? You don't know where she's been!"

"Mom. For the last time her name is Sam and she's—"

Sam cut him off. "Dude, chill," She said to the woman, "I washed my hands like, yesterday. Don't worry, your son is safe from the terrors of the world. There's no need for one of your little episodes," She waived her hands around for emphasis.

Mrs. Benson glared at Sam, and looked back at Freddie. "Well I just came out here to let you know I'm leaving for work and won't be back until tomorrow. There's fat free pasta in the fridge." She leaned in closer to Freddie and whispered a little too loudly, "Don't let that harlot force you to do anything I _know_ you wouldn't want to do." She said, and with a pat on his shoulder, and one last scowl at Sam, she was off.

Sam laughed and said "Harlot," in her best imitation of Freddie's mom. Freddie cracked up and shook his head. If he had been dating any other girl, and his mother treated her like that, they'd probably break up with him for it. But Sam had known him for so long, that she was used to his crazy mother, and knew that was just something about being with Freddie that she had to deal with. And most of the time, they could laugh about it.

Inside Carly's apartment, Spencer was in his underwear, blasting music, and gluing metal spatulas together, to make some sort of animal.

"Hey spenc," Sam and Freddie said in unison, which happened often, even back when they hated each other.

"Hi, Sam and Freddie!" He yelled over the music. "Carly went out with Brad like five hours ago, so she'll be back sometime."

Freddie nodded, as Sam dropped his hand, kicked her shoes off and collapsed on the couch, taking up the whole thing. Freddie grabbed the remote off the table and flipped to some reality TV show about celebrities in caves. As he had done so many times in the last month, he lifted Sam's legs up, sat down, and then rested them back on his lap. For the next half hour they watched the show, or at least attempted to, as Spencer was singing along with the music, rather loudly and off key. Finally, just as Sam was about to fall asleep, in came Carly, looking flushed and giddy.

Immediately, Spencer was staring her down, questioning her. "What took you so long? You look guilty. Why do you look guilty? Where is Brad? Is he hiding in your purse? Was he a gentleman? You look guilty."

Carly laughed. "Calm down Spencer. We went to a movie, then I met his Grandmother, and we made fudge…and no he's not in my purse. But you get props for acting so concerned."

Spencer sighed with relief. "Really? Thanks. I practiced that for like, ever." He looked around at Sam and Freddie on the couch, "You two eating here?"

They spoke at the same time, but said different things.

"We just ate actually…"

"I could eat." Sam stretched, and sat up, swinging her legs off Freddie's lap, and off the couch. She caught him smiling out of the corner of her eyes.

"Sweet. I need help eating all these fruit tarts," Spencer gestured to the many desserts on the counter, that he and his book club had made.

"How are your book club ladies?" Carly asked, pulling off her boots.

"Well, Stephanie's having problems with her boyfriend, Steve. And Laurie's a couple's counselor so we were trying to—"

He was cut off by the sound of everyone laughing.

It was a night like many others at the Shay household. They had shared so many together that eventually they all blend together in a sea of memories. But the ordinary would be ending soon. Sam and Freddie were about to spend their first night together, and neither one of them knew what to expect.


	4. Chapter 4

Around eleven, Sam and Freddie said their goodbyes and headed out the door. Of course, no one besides Freddie knew about Sam sleeping over. Just in case anyone watching, Sam pretended to leave, walking past Freddie's apartment towards the stairs, but circling back to his door. Sam went right in, and through to Freddie's room passing out on his bed, while he went to take a shower. It felt strange, knowing she was spending the night for the first time with a guy, just the two of them. But strange in an exciting way. Laying there thinking, she realized that she hadn't brought any of her things with her. That was something both of them had overlooked in the moment. Not wanting to sleep in jeans, she got up from his bed and opened the dresser, rifling through, until she found her favorite shirt of his. It was a burgundy, long sleeved collared one, that was obviously huge on her, but that's what made it so comfortable. She pulled off the blue and white striped shirt she was currently wearing, and slipped into Freddie's. Looking through more piles of clothes, she selected a pair of grey sweat pants. After pulling them on, and realizing it as impossible to walk in them, she looked around to his desk in the corner, and spotted some scissors to cut them in to shorts. She knew they could just be rolled up, but this way she'd be killing two birds with one stone. Being able to walk, and annoy Freddie, just with a few swipes from a pair of scissors. Next, she needed to do something about the smudged mascara on her face, that Carly always made her put on, claiming it made her eyes 'pop'. She could go wash her face in the bathroom by the living room, but what fun would that be when she could freak out her boyfriend? Grinning, she rolled off the bed and made her way over to Freddie's bathroom door. She stood in front of it for a few moments, her hand resting on the knob. Then, with no warning, she barged in yelling "Freddie, I'm coming in here!"

She heard him give a little yelp, and then turn off the water. He stuck his head out, pulling the curtain up around him. "Sam!"

"Calm down, I'm just washing my face," She said, tying her hair back.

"Are you wearing my clothes?" He narrowed his eyes. "You cut my pants? Oh come on, that's like the fourth pair."

"I'd say I'm sorry but…I'm not." He rolled his eyes. "Now if you will excuse me, I'd like to rub some soap on my face."

He sighed. "There are other sinks, you know."

"But this ones so soft," She said, jokingly stroking the sink.

"Sam."

"Fredward."

"I'm serious."

"_I'm serious._" She mocked him, putting her hands on her hips.

"No, _I'm _serious!"

"I was serious first."

He started to become frustrated. "_I _was serious first!"

"Uh, no ma'am, I believe that would be me—"

"Okay, I'm trying to take a shower here!"

She laughed. "No way. I thought you were belly dancing."

His upper lip curled up in amusement. "Can I please get back to it?"

"Go right ahead."

"Thank you." He pulled the curtain closed and turned the water back on.

She smiled to herself, and splashed water in her face from the running faucet. This was going to be fun.

Back in Freddie's room, after he had showered and Sam had 'de-makeuped' herself, they both sat cross-legged on the bed. Since their bathroom experience, they had already had a staring contest, a hold your breath contest, thumb war, and arm wrestling match. Sam won all of them with her 'inhuman powers' as Freddie called them.

At what seemed like their first silence of the day, Freddie filled it with a question.

"There's something I've been wondering for a while now." He looked at her. "When did you start liking me?"

She sighed heavily and fell back onto the bed, but kept her legs crossed. "Well." She began, "It definitely didn't happen overnight. I mean, when we first met I despised you in every way possible." Freddie smiled at this, reminiscing, and then he too lay down next to her on his back. Sam continued. "But I guess it always bothered me a little how you were so in love with Carly." Freddie turned his head and looked at her. "At first, I just assumed it was because you were so pathetic and it annoyed you so much to see you pine over, day after day, night after—"

"Okay, I get it!" Freddie said, interrupting her. Sam opened her mouth, probably to yell at him for his outburst, but he spoke first. "And I was never in love with Carly. Infatuated, yeah. But I was obsessed with her before I even talked to her. That's not real love. I mean, I love her now as a best friend, but nothing more. She's like my sister."

Sam turned to look at him. "Well, whatever you were, you were obnoxious." Freddie nodded to himself, averting his gaze back to ceiling, as did she. "Anyway," She continued, "It just got old. Back then, liking you even a little went against everything I believed in."

Freddie interrupted once more. "So then' when in all of that utter disgust did you begin liking me?"

"Well, maybe if you would shut up and let me finish, you'd find out!" He obeyed. "Anyway, yeah, went from enemies to 'frenemies', and slowly, you were able to compose yourself in front of Carly, so I was able to stand you more. By then, I guess I could call you somewhat of a friend, and then your voice got deeper, and stuff happened, and we kissed to get it over with, and I suppose that kiss wasn't all that terrible…but I was mostly relieved to have gotten it out of the way. After that, I felt like I needed to mess with you a little more than usual, just to make sure you knew the kiss didn't change anything between us. And everything pretty much went back to normal. But for some reason, I thought about the kiss a lot…I didn't know why at the time. The most logical reason was that it was my first kiss, and I guess that's not exactly an easy thing to forget. But…whatever. Things were back to normal. That is, until I accidently told Carly that we kissed when the dentist drugged me. I thought you had told her, and I don't know…I kind of liked a secret between us. I mean, if it wasn't important, we could have told anyone. But then she found out, and questioned us on every detail, and I was surprised that you even remembered how many seconds it lasted." She stopped to take a breath.

"Eight seconds," He said vaguely.

"But," She continued, "I never got to hear if you liked it or not, because Spencer interrupted, and….it got me thinking about what you thought, and I didn't even know what I thought, but I definitely wasn't going to say or do anything stupid. I just thought I was having some weird mind crisis or something. So I just ignored everything, until the night of that stupid girl's choice dance. I never told anyone this, but when you and Carly were dancing at the Groovy Smoothie, I walked in and saw you guys."

Freddie narrowed his eyes, barely even remembering that night.

"And it wasn't a friend dance, either." Sam went on, "It looked like she finally liked you back. And for some reason that made me feel really…alone. Seeing you slow dance with her like you always wanted. But as usual, I disregarded my feelings and assumed I was just in a bad mood because I didn't have anyone to go to the dance with. But after that night, nothing seemed different between you two."

Freddie sat up so he was kneeling over her. "That's because nothing happened that night. I hardly even remember any of it; it was all just one big, miserable blur. We both had terrible dates, and I guess we just wanted to have one dance with someone who didn't drive us crazy. But it was just as friends." He lay back down next to her.

"Well you weren't 'just friends' after you jumped in front of that taco truck. The sold amazing tacos, by the way."

"Yeah, I know. You were eating one when you guys came to see me in the hospital, and you gave me half."

"Really?"

He nodded.

"Was I…conscious?"

"I don't think you were sleep walking…I've seen you during that."

"Oh. I must have been delusional to give you my only source of food. Anyway, I don't think I need to remind you what happened when she went over to your place to see you."

Freddie frowned. The memory of the one week he and Carly were a couple was a bittersweet one. On one hand, he had finally gotten what he'd said he wanted for years. But he had also realized that Carly never would have kissed him if he hadn't jumped in front of that truck. And he also discovered that the life of Carly Shay's boyfriend wasn't as amazing as he though it would be. Sure, Carly was a great girlfriend, and she always treated him well, but they had always had so much fun just being friends. They seemed to lose that while they dated. Their relationship felt too forced.

"Carly's my best friend and I wanted her to be happy," Sam said. "But I know Carly. I knew she was just in awe that you were her little hero. I knew it the moment she ran out of your apartment and told me she kissed you. I hated the idea of you and her as a couple. It made me want to—"

"Puke up blood?" Freddie smirked, repeating her own words.

"Exactly. And I'm sure you recall our little 'foreign bacon' conversation. I didn't think you would listen to me, though. You finally had your dream girl, and me calling you bacon didn't seem like a good enough reason to dump her. But you did. And as soon as you weren't a couple anymore…I got like, really happy. It was weird. I thought about it for hours, and I think that's where I finally realized there was a slight chance that I could possibly like you. So…that's about when I started to think I was going insane. I still didn't let any feelings for you besides hate show, until we hired Brad. It was the perfect cover. I could hang with you all I wanted, but with Brad there, and everyone would think I had a thing for him. But I didn't know how obnoxious you would all be when you tried to set me up with him."

"Hey, Carly was the one who wanted to bring you guys to a barn, not me!"

"A barn?"

"Never mind."

"So anyway…I decided to back off the whole Brad thing, and besides, you were on to me when I started acting nice. And after your little geek machine read my mood, everyone was convinced that I was in love with the guy. And you wouldn't leave me alone. Carly told me to make a move…you gave me your little speech…and well, you were there."

Freddie smiled.

"And then I knew I was insane. Or so I thought."

"Wow," Freddie said. "I honestly had no idea you felt that way about me until you kissed me at the lock in. Either you're a really good actress, or I'm stupid."

"Both," Sam said, poking his face, "But yes, I've gotten pretty good at hiding things." There was a pause. "But…what about you?" She asked, glancing at him. "Did you only start liking me when I kissed you?"

Freddie let out a breath. "No. Well…I don't know. It's hard to say when it happened. For most of middle school I associated you with the devil, as you found endless delight in torturing me. With little mercy, I may add."

Sam grinned.  
>"I didn't even want to hang out with Carly when you were around, but she insisted that you treated everyone like that, and it would get better. I believed her. And it did get better. It took about three years, but eventually we got to be really close. You stopped hurting for no reason at all, and only did it when you were provoked. Or you were just bored. Or mad. Or just felt like punching something. Okay, you still hurt me regularly. But I was used to being a target in these situations. I never dreamed that you would be my first kiss, but you were. And in the moment it actually felt kind of…right. Natural. Which was weird…because it's not normal for a person to like the girl who probably thought up ways to kill you in her spare time."<p>

Sam shook her head. "I never wanted to kill you. Maybe put you in a coma for a few weeks, but never kill you. Then who would I mess with?"

"Uh, let's see, everyone else you like to beat up?"

"You were always special," She said softly. "Sure, I liked roughing up anyone who got in my way, but I _loved _it when it was you."

"Oh, I'm so honored. What was so special about me?"

"Well, for one you were the only one who ever tried to fight back. That was always quite a comedy show to witness."

"Hey. I let you win because I couldn't beat up a girl."

"Uh, yeah right," Sam laughed.

"Yeah…I was afraid of you."

"You always got so mad. Yelled, protested. I think that's why we started arguing so much. It was fun. I actually woke up every day, excited to get in a fight with you. Not that I faked being mad at you or anything. You were one obnoxious little nub. Also, I could torture you more than anyone because I knew that I could never lose you as a friend, or enemy, because of iCarly. As long as we still had the web show I'd be forced to spend time with you no matter how much we hated each other. So I pushed it to the limit. And the one time I actually think I went too far…we ended up kissing. Which like I said, wasn't all that terrible."

"Like you had anything to compare it to."

"What did I tell you about interrupting?" She grabbed the first thing she could find, a dictionary with a bookmark in it, sitting on his bedside table, and smacked him right on top of the head. "Ow!" He exclaimed, feeling the spot she had attacked. "Why would you hit me with a dictionary?"

"Why would you _read _a dictionary? For _fun_?"

"I like learning new words!"

"What an awful thing to do with your free time!"

"I don't…it's usually late at night."

"You know what I do really late at night? Sleep!"

"Well, why don't you do that right now?"

"Fine! Maybe I will!"

"Good!"

"Gooder!" she flipped over so her back was facing him, but didn't shut her eyes. Instead, she whispered, "Your mattress molds to my body perfectly."

"Yeah, it's one of those memory foam ones," He said dully.

She didn't know why, but this made her laugh, and soon she couldn't stop. She rolled back over, facing Freddie, her eyes wet from her laughter. He pressed his tongue against his teeth to keep from smiling. His head still hurt a lot. But he didn't do a very good job, because in a matter of seconds he was laughing along with her. He had a sudden urge to kiss her, so he pressed his mouth up against hers. She moved her head to the right to deepen the kiss, but didn't get very far, as she burst out laughing once more, spitting all over his face. "What now?" He asked, quite amused.

"Nothing," She said. "Okay I'll be serious now." She leaned in towards him, turning her head to the right again, and just before their lips met, she exploded with giggles. "What _is _it?" He asked, throwing his hands up.

"I did it again," She gasped.

"Did what?"

"I went in for the kill," She said in a funny voice. At this, he too burst out laughing. Just a couple of weeks ago, they had a conversation on how it's called 'going in for the kill' when you move your head to the right while kissing. They both found it hilarious.

"Hey," She said suddenly sitting up. "Do you have any food?"

"Yes, we have fat free pasta."

"I'm going to go eat it."

He followed her out of the room and into the kitchen, flipping on the light switch as he passed it. She got a fork and the container of pasta out of the fridge and pulled the lid off. "I'm so hungry," She moaned. Freddie rolled his eyes and smiled. She took a huge forkful and shoved it in her mouth, chewed for a few seconds and then spit it all out on the floor. "I hate it." She looked at him, her face pinched up. Freddie stared at her, then sighed. "I didn't even have my annual ham that I have every day!" She said, looking quite distressed.

"Annual means yearly."

"I know. I was just testing you."

"Of course you were."

"I'm hungry."

"I'm aware."

Thank you for reading

p.s.-Reviewing inspires me to add more chapters! School's starting soon, so i'll be extra busy, but hopefully i'll have a new chapter up later this week!


	5. AUTHOR'S NOTE! PLEASE READ!

Hey guys! I know that I usually update one to two times a week, but school has just started this past week, and I've been REALLY busy. With a job, two sports, a horse to take care of, and several AP classes that require 60 pages of textbook reading a night, I barely ever have time to sleep, much less write. I have so much fun writing this story, and new chapters are definitely coming your way, but I just need to focus on my grades and keeping my life organized for a while. I could sit down for ten minutes every night and write some really crappy chapters, but for me, good writing takes time, and you guys deserve nothing but my best, so I intend to make these next chapters extra good to make up for this little gap. Don't worry...I have some stuff you're going to love coming up. So anyways, I'm rambling, but please don't lose faith in this story! It is NOT finished in any way! Also, THANK YOU SO MUCH for reading and reviewing! You don't know how much it helps me to know what you guys like and dislike about it, so I can keep writing what you want to read. Always feel free to message me, review, or give me any time of suggests for stories. Hope you guys understand!

-GBlove


	6. Chapter 5

Their night continued on like that, one thing after another. They watched three horror films, to which they made fun of the entire time. Sam occasionally yelled at the characters and threw popcorn at the screen, scattering it all over the living room. Freddie, not caring that he would be the one to clean it up, actually joined in on this. After the movies, they made pancakes at three in the morning, and ate them out on the fire escape under the summer moon.

When they finished, the two stood looking out over the balcony, forearms brushing.

"You can see all of Seattle," Sam said, gazing at all the lights, "Man, it really is a boring city." She glanced at him.

"I don't know," Freddie argued, "It kind of looks like Paris at night."

Sam snickered. "You've clearly never seen Paris."

"Yes I have! It's my screensaver!"

"I think you might be the chick in this relationship…"

"There's nothing wrong with having Paris as a screen saver! I want to go sometime. Maybe even with you." He playfully poked her ribs.

"Good luck with that. I would hate Paris."

"Because of the French people?"

"Exactly."

"They eat snails there, you know."

"Ehh, been there, eaten that." She paused. "But you're right. This city does look better in the dark."

Freddie grinned. "You just like it because there's no people"

"True. Except you." She smirked.

"You must really like me."

"Well, with you, I've learned to take the good with the bad."

He cocked his head. "Gee, thanks."

They stood in silence for a few more moments, just contemplating this unfamiliar scenario they found themselves in. Finally, Sam spoke up.

"So, what now Freddo?"

"How about sleep?"

She stole another glance at him. "I thought you were going to suggest we read the dictionary." She said , cracking up.

"Ha, Ha…"

"And we can highlight words we don't understand for further reading!" She laughed, her smile radiating.

"Will you let that go?" He struggled not to smile. But it was difficult. How could he not be smiling, standing on a balcony in the middle of the night with the girl he loved?

He shook his head in amusement, grumbling under his breath as she continued on. "It's just so weird," She said, almost to herself.

"I've seen you do weirder things than—"

"No, I'm off that! I meant…it's just that I would normally go for guys more like…not you. You know, tattooed, on parole…the usual."

"And I would normally like girls that are polite, sweet, girly…not you."

She gave her best fake, sweet smile. "That's why you love me." As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them. Neither of them had ever said that four letter word to each other. She wasn't sure if she wanted to claim Freddie's love for her, before he had even confirmed it. Though her words surprised him too, he wasn't a loss for words. He just touched her cheek, and murmured, "You got that right." And not for the first time that night, he leaned down until his lips met hers. She met his with equal enthusiasm, and wrapped her arms around his neck, as he gently squeezed her waist. They relaxed into the embrace, and as they often did, felt each other smile through the kiss. When it was over, Sam pulled back but kept her grip on him.

"So…does that mean…" She trailed off, waiting for him to finish his sentence.

"That I love you?"

"Uh huh…"

"I suppose it does." He smiled.

She nodded, "Well, okay. I, uh…love you too. I love you." She warmly nudged him with her hip.

He widened his grin. "So I guess we love each other?"

"It would seem so," She said, her hands gently caressing the back of his neck.

"Hmm…sweet."

At half past four, Freddie felt his eyes become heavy. "Are you sleeping?" Sam whispered, peeling open one of his upper eye lids.

"That's usually what happens at night," He murmured sleepily, and shifted on the concrete floor of fire escape, where he had laid a blanket out. She groaned, but could not deny the tiredness of her own. "You'll have to go over to Carly's before my mom gets home, anyway. Wouldn't want her to walk in on this."

"Mmhmm…" Sam mumbled, before drifting off into sleep.

He had a smile on his face, even after he had dozed off. There was no telling of what would happen in the next few weeks, or even the next day with Sam, but Freddie was the happiest he had even been in his life.


	7. Chapter 6

Hey guys! I just wanted to let you all know about an amazingggg author: Magarooski1124

Three FABULOUS stories all about Seddie. Here's URL. Check it out! .net/u/2824432/Magarooski1124

A new chapter to The Demon and the Dork should be up in about a week. I absolutely love all the reviews I've been getting and can't thank you enough!

Sam snuck out at seven the next morning, just before Mrs. Benson arrived at the apartment door.

"Okay, you really have to go now," Freddie said, after their fifth goodbye kiss.

"I know, I know, I'm leaving. Bye." She snuck another one in, to which he did not complain. In fact, he pulled her in closer, extending what had been a quick peck, into a full on make out.

"Alright I have to go," She said, pulling back, "Your mom…"

"I know, I know. I'll see you later today."

"Okay. Bye." She kissed him once more before slipping out the door and across the hall to Carly's.

She crashed on the living room couch, and at nine Carly came trudging down the stairs, not surprised to see Sam asleep in her house, as it had happened quite often in the past. By now an expert at making all Sam's favorite dishes, she whipped up some chocolate chip pancakes for the two of them to enjoy when Sam awoken. These kinds of gestures helped to remind Sam that no matter how close she and Freddie became, Carly would always be her best friend.

That one summer defined the word 'love' for Sam and Freddie. It's funny, the certain things they remembered the most. Like that killer look he always gave her, as if nothing in the world could keep him from smiling, no matter how hard he tried not to. Or the way that her laugh was different when she was with him; imperfect and free. Two seventeen year olds, tasting love for the very first time, only fearing losing each other. She spent not every night with him, but almost. On the days she didn't, she'd stay with Carly. And Freddie…he made her forget when things weren't right. She never thought about her mom when she was with him. Not once. Until one night when _he _couldn't get it off his mind.

"So I was thinking about the stuff about your mom…" He began to say one night while they were driving back from a movie, the car dark except for the streetlights illuminating their profiles.

Sam looked at him. "And…?" She knew where this was going.

"And…" He said, coming to a stop at the red light, "I've waited a month, and I still think we should do something about it."

"Freddie don't start," She sighed, "I'm too tired for this." She looked away and leaned her forehead on the glass window.

"You can't live like this forever!" He exclaimed. "It worked for a while, but people are going to start poking around, wondering where your mom is." She rolled her eyes. "Come on! I'll…buy you a year's supply of bacon."

"No."

"I'll be your slave and personal chef for the rest of out lives!"

"No. And…you already are."

"I'll buy you all the food you want! I'll pay you! I will do anything and everything you want. _Anything. _Just let me help you. Please."

"Nooope."

"Sam, people are going to find out eventually, and I don't want to be the one to get blamed for keeping it a secret."

"Oh, well sorry my life is such a burden on you. Just forget I ever told you anything. I wouldn't want you to feel like you had to go against your little code of honor or anything. God, this light is taking _forever._"

"Okay…" Freddie muttered, "Looks like it's that time of the month for _someone_."

Sam whipped around and stared him down. "Number one rule. Never say that to a girl. And two…you're right. Which reminds me we have to stop and get some tamp—"

"Don't say it!" Freddie slapped his hand over her mouth, just as the light turned green.

"What? Tamp—"

"Stop! I'll take you to get them…but for God sake don't _say _it."

She looked at him for a moment, smiling. He looked back at her, horrified, like she might explode at any moment. "Tampons!"

"Ahhhh!" He almost wrecked the car.

After their stop at the drugstore, their argument was a thing of the past. Although reluctantly, Freddie agreed, for the second time, not to say anything about Sam's mom. They both knew it wouldn't be the last time he brought it up, but for now they could agree on it.


	8. Chapter 7

Thank you so much for reading! I love you all!

August flew by, and before they knew it, Carly, Sam and Freddie were entering their junior year of high school. Things were going better than ever for the web show, and for the two relationships that ran it. Sam even accompanied Freddie to a Galaxy Wars convention, but also forced him to go to 'Build a Bra' with her. But he still mentioned her situation often, and with each time, Sam seemed to lose a little more patience with him. He tried not to push her, but one day in mid October, her condition took a turn for the worse.

They had been on a date, getting pizza, when Freddie noticed how tired his girlfriend looked, and her voice sounded hoarse.

"I'm thinking we've been staying up a little too late…you look really tired." He eyed her.

"No," She said, "It's just this cold I have. I think I'm losing my voice or something."

"It could be the flu. In which case you'd have to see a doctor…who would want to know about your mom."

"It's nothing, babe. Just drop it." She looked annoyed, but he persisted.

"Sam if you're sick you have to go to the doctor."

"Why don't you just get me some Tylenol? It'll be fine in a day or two."

"But Sam—"

"Freddie," She said sharply. Every time he mentioned her mom, there was an edge in her voice that did not go unnoticed by him. "Just don't worry about it. I can take care of myself."

"I'm not trying to start a fight. I'm just saying you should go to a doctor. That's it. I can take care of you too, you know." He fondly nudged her foot with his under the table.

"I never said you were trying to start and fight. I just don't want to see a doctor, okay?"

"Fine, but if it gets any worse…"

"Yeah, whatever." She looked away, but not before he caught the exasperated expression in her eyes.

The bug subsided within a few days, but that only brought them to the next problem: homecoming. Freddie wanted to take Sam, but she would rather go bowling than 'dance with a bunch of freaks', as she put it. But as usual, Carly was able to convince her that it would be fun, and even offered Sam her dress she wore last year, since Sam didn't have the money to buy a new one. She was usually able to mooch some cash off her mother, although she barely had any either, so Carly questioned the abnormality, but Sam brushed her off, saying her mom was just tired of giving her money.

In the week leading up to the dance, things were tense between Sam and Freddie. They hardly even spoke, and when they did their words were strained and filled with frustration. Everyone was used to their arguments, and just assumed they'd get over it. But nobody knew what they were fighting about this time.

Of course, Carly helped Sam get ready for the big night. Somehow, she even convinced her to wear a little more makeup than usual, some blue eye shadow that matched the dress she was wearing. Carly, noticing her friend was being quiet, asked her what was wrong.

"I just don't really like dances." Sam replied shortly, frowning at herself in the mirror.

"Yeah but it's your first time going to one with Freddie. Aren't you a little excited?"

"Well Carly, in case you haven't noticed, the boy and I are barely speaking these days. That might make things just a tad awkward."

"So? It's you and Freddie. You fight. It's what you're good at. It's your gift." She said, smiling at Sam.

"Yeah, great gift…" Sam muttered.

Carly put her hands on her hips. "Come on. Give me a smile."

"I don't want—"

"Give me a smile!" Carly attacked Sam's stomach with tickles, and soon they were both laughing.

After they had both settled down again, Carly spoke. "So…I'm going to the dance with Brad, but I think Gibby thinks he's going with me…" She laughed a little and glanced at Sam.

"Seriously?" Sam pictured the two together, and surprisingly, it seemed kind of…cute.

"Yeah…I tried to tell him I already had a date but he wouldn't really take no for an answer."

"And what does Brad think about this?"

"He's okay with it, actually. He and Gibby have gotten to be pretty good friends and he wants this night to be special for everyone."

"Wow, that's…fair."

"It should be interesting," Carly smiled, and reapplied her lipstick.

While her friend finished up, Sam walked over to the full length mirror and looked at herself. She saw a blond, hazel eyed girl wearing a blue and black, strapless dress, and black high heels, both belonging to her best friend. But on the inside she was scared to death that her own boyfriend was going to tell the world her biggest secret, or at the very least, drive her crazy while trying. Downstairs, they heard Spencer answering the door, and they both knew their dates had arrived.

"Are you ready?" Carly asked, standing up.

Sam sighed. _NO_, she wanted to scream. _No, I am not ready! _But instead she said, "Yeah. Let's do it." And so the longest night of her life began.

She followed the brunette down the stairs, to find all the guys in the living room, looking dapper in their tuxes. The mood changed as soon as Freddie made eye contact with Sam, while she was trailing behind Carly, wishing she could disappear. Sam had been right. It was uncomfortable, the two staring at each other, after a week of almost complete silence between them. But neither of them could deny the fact that their eyes had missed one another. They instinctively made their way over to each other, as the odd threesome of Carly, Gibby and Brad conversed, while they waited for Spencer, Mrs. Benson, Mrs. Gibson, and Brad's parents and grandmother to get their cameras ready. Obviously, Sam's mom was absent.

"You look really pretty." Freddie set his gaze on his girlfriend.

She gave him a halfhearted smile and shrugged. "Carly forced makeup upon me."

"Yeah, I bet she did," he said chuckling. They were both painfully aware of how forced it sounded. There were a few seconds of penetrating silence, until Freddie spoke up.

"So, what's up with the love triangle?" He said, gesturing to their three friends, who were all laughing at something Gibby had said.

This time Sam laughed for real. "I know, it's hilarious, right?"

Freddie just shook his head, grinning. "Oh, I almost forgot," He turned to the coffee table beside them and grabbed a clear, plastic bag, containing a corsage.

"Here, give me your wrist." He took it out of the package.

She was not the type of girl to accept a corsage from a guy, much less let him put in on her. But because it was Freddie, Sam, without saying a word, extended her arm out to him. Jolts of electricity seemed to penetrate both their senses the instant their skin touched. It had only been a week since they'd had any physical contact, but it seemed like a month. Barely able to control his nearly shaking hands, he fastened the flower onto Sam, and released her hand, but held onto it a second longer than necessary.

"There." He said softly. Their eyes locked for a split second before Spencer yelled "Ready!" and they were jolted out of the stare.

"Okay, boys on one side, girls on the other," Mrs. Benson instructed, literally yanking Freddie away from Sam.

"Mom…" Freddie warned her.

"Oh, alright. Touch each other. Break your mother's heart. Go ahead." Freddie rolled his eyes, and moved in front of the door, lining up with everyone else. First, they did the group photos, the classic "boys behind girls" pose. Sam tucked her self into Freddie, fitting like a glove, as she always had. He wrapped his arms around her waist, his hands covering hers, intertwining their fingers. He rested his chin on the top of her head and breathed deeply. He could feel that Sam was just as tense has he, so he murmured for only them to hear, "I know this is weird," he paused and felt her shift in his arms, "But we'll get through it. I swear." She only needed to squeeze his hand, and lean into him a little more to let him know how she felt.

To their right, Brad and Carly were in the same position, though less intimate, and poor Gibby was next to them, attempting to cuddle himself, like only Gibby could. The first few pictures were like that, and in most of them Freddie was not looking at the camera, but down at the girl in his arms. Then some of just Carly and Sam were taken, and at this, Freddie reluctantly released the blonde from his arms, and walked off to the side with the other guys. The girls did a few different poses, most of them for humorous purposes, but Sam, not having much comedy in her at the moment, just tried to do her best to even smile. Afterwards, they did couples photos, first Freddie and Sam, in the same pose as before, then Carly and Brad, and even some of Carly and Gibby. Carly definitely noticed something was not right with Sam. And she knew it was beyond just being in an ordinary argument with Freddie. Then it was the guy's turn, so Carly took that as an opportunity to try to talk to her friend.

"Something's wrong, Sam," She said. "You're never like this."

Sam crossed her arms, and said through gritted teeth, "Nothing's wrong. We're all having a jolly good time, here." She lifted her wrist, "Like my corsage?" She asked tersely, rolling her eyes.

"It's…it's a nice corsage," Carly swatted her hand away. "Lie all you want Sam, but something's not right. And eventually you _know_ I will find out what it is."

"Yeah, yeah, nothing gets past you Carls…" Sam muttered lamely.

When picture taking was finally over, Sam and Freddie found each other once more, so they could walk out the door side by side. As everyone headed for the elevators, they both hung back for a moment.

Freddie gently tilted her chin up, so she was looking at him. "Sam, if you really don't want to go, we don't have to. I don't want you to be miserable." He was slightly insulting himself, suggesting that attending a dance with him would make a person miserable, but when it came to Sam, he always said what had to be said.

"We've already gone to this much trouble, so we may as well just go through with it." She mumbled, averting her eyes to the floor.

"Hey, that's the spirit!" He said in a falsely jolly tone, getting a laugh out of her.

"I love you," She said through her laughter.

"Love you more," He said, drawing out the last word, making her giggle again. He was the only guy who could ever make Sam Puckett giggle like the girly girl she most definitely was not. As if the moment hadn't been sappy enough, they walked hand in hand, down the hall to catch up with their friends, not really knowing what they were doing, but nonetheless, doing it together.


	9. Chapter 8

So, I Just realized a mistake I made in the last chapter. Guys don't wear TUXES to homecoming! just ignore that, and pretend it says 'button down shirts and khaki pants' or something. Anyways, thanks so much for reading! I love hearing reviews, so tell me what you like or dislike! 3

Though it was still a little awkward for Sam and Freddie, having been in a silent disagreement the past week, once the group got to dinner, they realized they'd ruin the night if they spend it fighting.

They all ate at the restaurant Sam and Freddie had gone to the night they made Carly tag along to settle their disputes. But this time, Freddie didn't care if his girlfriend used up all the parmesan and talked with her mouth full. He'd prefer anything to the tenseness that hung in the air like humidity. This was not who they were. At all.

Eventually, the two were able to loosen up, and laugh at little things like they used to. It wasn't until Carly brought up her English report that things started to go bad.

"Gibby, did you have to read the short story about the girl whose mom abandons her for English?" Carly asked him, taking a sip of her water.

The moment she said it, Sam and Freddie both froze, forks inches away from their mouths. They looked at each other, then quickly back at Carly.

"No, we're reading Bearwolf." He said.

Carly gave him a funny look. "You mean Beowulf?" Brad said, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"No. Bearwolf! You know, head of a bear, body of a wolf," Gibby was so sure of himself.

"Okay, anyway…" Carly began, "My English teacher is insane! She expects us to write a report on the symbolic meaning of this girl who's living on her own, and then she ends up killing her boyfriend in the end." Freddie sputtered his water and began choking when she said this. Sam had to slap him on the back to get him to stop. She glared at him, her eyes threatening him if he dared say anything. Finally, he just got up from the table, muttering, "I need some air." Sam knew this meant he wanted to talk. He _always _wanted to talk. So she too got up and followed him out the door.

He leaned up against the brick wall of the restaurant, arms crossed.  
>"What's your problem?" Sam asked, throwing her arms up.<p>

"I don't want to end up dead!" He blurted out.

"It's a stupid story!"

"It's exactly like our situation!"

"I knew you'd bring this up." Sam shook her head and looked out towards the city.

"Just…it's gone too far. And don't pretend I haven't noticed that you're getting sick again. I saw you sneeze yesterday." He eyed her.

"So what, you're going to tell everybody? And at homecoming of all places?"

"I don't know _what _to do! I've been driving myself crazy for months, trying to figure out what the right thing to do is."

"Just drop it, Freddie."

"No!" He caught Sam off guard. "You can get mad at me and yell at me, but you can't keep telling me I'm wrong because I _know _I'm right!" His voice felt louder than it had ever been. "_I know I'm right!"_ He finally understood why Sam sometimes just needs to punch something. He chose the brick wall of the building. He hit it over and over. Sam just stood there, staring ahead as if nothing was wrong. After ten punches, his hand was throbbing, cut up, and possibly broken, but he couldn't care less about his hand right now. "Ow…" He muttered.

Without a word, Sam turned and started walking off down the sidewalk. "Hey, where are you going?"

"Home." She replied, shortly.

"Oh, no…we're going to the dance and we're going to have a wonderful time. Come on." He took her by the elbow and dragged her back inside.

Everyone was staring at them as they seated themselves.

"What were you guys doing out there?" Carly asked wearily.

They both ignored the question. Freddie just said, "Everybody ready?" He pulled out his wallet. "It's on me."

"No, I got this." Brad said, he too pulling out his wallet.

Gibby just sat there. "Sorry, I spent all my money taking my grandmother paint balling."

They finally decided to just split the check, so they could get to the school. On their way out, Freddie walked a good four steps behind Sam, his arms stiffly at his side. They had all drove separately to the restaurant, Sam in Freddie in his mom's car, and Brad drove Carly and Gibby in his. The last thing Sam wanted to do was get in that car, but she did, although reluctantly. The first five minutes of the drive were in complete silence. Finally, Freddie said softly, "Baby, you're not the only one who this has happened to." He looked at her for a second, then turned back to the road.

Sam kept staring straight ahead. "I know." She said after a moment.

"It's not your fault she left."

"I know."

"And there's nothing wrong with—"She cut him off.

"Freddie please, just _stop talking._"

He sighed. "Okay."

They arrived at the school, and waited in the car for their other friends to show up. Once they did, they all walked in together. A slow song was playing in the gym, so Carly dragged Gibby and Brad off into the crowd, but Sam and Freddie stayed off to the side, looking as awkward as can be. "Do you want to dance." It sounded like a statement, rather than a question.

"No." Was all she said. Short and sweet and to the point. Something he loved and hated about her.

"Well I wasn't really asking," He said, pulling her along with him onto the dance floor. Freddie knew how difficult Sam could be. Luckily, over the years, he'd learned how to break through the wall she put up, trying to keep people out. He'd already gotten her to go to the dance with him after they'd had a huge fight, so that was quite an achievement. And walking out onto the dance floor was definitely not something she would have chosen to do. Freddie was a Sam Puckett expert. However, apparently just because she had gone into the crowd, did not mean she would actually dance. So she just stood there looking around, probably thinking the girl in the story who killed her boyfriend had the right idea.

"Look at me," He said.

"I'd rather not," She said through gritted teeth.

"Then close your eyes and dance with me." He gently took her waist in his hands and pulled her in close to him. She let herself lean into him for a few moments, maybe seconds, she wasn't really sure, before pulling away. "Wait, what are we doing?"

"Dancing."

"One minute, we're not speaking, then we're all mushy, then we're screaming at each other, then we're quiet, then we're dancing, what is _wrong _with us?"

"Nothing's wrong, that's just what we do."

"It's what we've done since I've told you my secret. Everything was fine until then. I should have never told you."

"I really hate it when you talk to me like I'm some kind of nagging, evil presence. I'm trying to _help _you, in case you haven't noticed."

They realized they were making a scene. Some of the people around them were beginning to stare. Sam saw this, and walked off, shaking her head. Naturally, Freddie followed, close behind. She didn't know where she was going. She just kept walking, until she was running, cutting through hallways and classrooms, until she ended up in the last place she expected. It was where Sam had kissed Freddie that night at school. They were both aware of this, but neither said anything about it. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, until Freddie said, "I couldn't live with myself knowing I didn't help my best friend when she needed me. You don't think this is hard for me too? I have to watch you everyday, knowing you're struggling. "

"Well then maybe we shouldn't be together anymore!" Sam's words seemed to pierce Freddie's ears. "Because I can't stand being with someone who is constantly nagging me. I love you, Freddie. But this just isn't working out. If you can't accept the fact they I'm not going to tell anyone, then…then go. And if you don't, I'll go."

Terror consumed him. "Sam, no. We're not breaking up. This is insane."

She looked at him, afraid she would break if she spoke. "Just…just say everything is okay. Say you won't bring it up anymore. Just…please. Everything's going fine. Everything was great. I don't understand why we can't just keep doing what we were doing." She wondered how Freddie did it. He could completely turn her inside out without even trying.

"Because, look at you Sam. You're sick and I can't take you to the doctor without them asking about your mom. You're wearing Carly's clothes because you have no money, and as much fun it is to have to in my bed with me every night…it can't can go on. At least not like this. You have to have a home."

A tear escaped her eye, which despite her best efforts, did not go unnoticed by Freddie.

"You don't have to cry, baby—"

"I'm not crying," She said interrupting him, "_Just stop talking!_" She turned away from him, and he tried to grasp her arm but she shook him off coldly, and walked back into the classroom, pulling out her phone. "What's the number for a cab?" She asked Freddie, who was following her back through the halls. Her voice was as empty has her wallet, and she did not look at him.

"I'm not letting you take a cab to an empty house," He said dully.

"I'm going to Carly's. Just give me the number. I want to leave." He was going to offer to drive her, but something in her voice told him he'd already upset her enough that night so he got his own phone and called the cab service for her. By now, they were in the front foyer of the school. After he called, they walked outside to wait.

The silence was deafening, and the ten minutes they waited for a cab felt like ten hours. It finally arrived and Sam realized that Freddie would have to pay for it. She didn't have to ask, only look at him, for him to know exactly what she needed. It had always been that way between them.

"Sam if I pay for that cab, I'm getting in with you."

"I swear," She muttered, "Don't make a scene. Just give me five bucks so I can go."

"I refuse to pay you leave me!"

She marched up to him, trying to pull his wallet out of his pocket, but he grabbed her wrists and kissed her. Shocked, she pulled away. "What are you doing? Let me go!"

"Let me go with you. I'll go anywhere you take me."

"Oh, shut up and let me go!" She was able to yank one hand away and started hitting his shoulder with it, hoping he would give in like the old days. He just took his free hand and started hitting himself in the same spot, as if to show her how crazy it was, what she was doing it.

"You see, you're the one making the scene, now," He said.

The cab driver rolled down the passenger window and leaned over the seat. "Hey, if someone's not in here in ten seconds I'm leaving."

Sam ripped her hands away from Freddie's grip and pulled the door open.

"So are we broken up?" His voice cracked at the last word. She turned around and just looked at him. A look that only she could ever give him. He knew he'd lost the battle, lost Sam, and there was nothing he could say to change that. He could try, but it killed him to see Sam cry, even just one tear. So he took out his wallet and gave her every last dollar he had. She stood frozen, one hand on the door as he did this. He opened up her fingers and placed the money in her hand, then closed them around it. Not taking her eyes off him, she ducked down into the car.

He leaned in close to her. "Go straight to Carly's. Spencer will be there." His voice was heavy with sadness. "And for what it's worth, I love you."

She looked down, up towards the roof, then back at him. "I love you too." Then she pulled the door closed, barely giving him time to pull his head out of the way.

After the cab had drove away, he still stood in that spot. He stood there for three hours until the dance was over and everyone started coming out of the doors, headed for their cars. He caught Carly's eye in the crowd and waived her over. She was between Brad and Gibby, and arm hooked in each of their's. But she could tell something was wrong, so she unhooked herself and ran over to Freddie, leaving her dates to chat among themselves.

"Freddie, what's going on? The last we saw of you guys was when we first got here…you stayed right?"

Freddie sighed, "Carly I need to talk—"

"Where's Sam?" She asked, worry creeping up in her voice.

"I need to talk to you." He repeated.

"Okay..." She responded with caution.

He looked around, and pulled her further away from everyone else.

"Freddie, what's going on?" Panic was now beginning to rise. "Where's Sam?"

"She took a cab back to your place. At least she's supposed to be there. If she'd not there when you get home, we'll have to look for her."

"But why'd she leave?"

He hesitated, "She…we had a fight. We've actually been fighting about something for months now."

"What is it?" Carly crossed her arms.

"Look, you have to swear not to tell anyone besides Spencer. And I mean _no one. _Not Brad, not Gibby, not Wendy, no one.

"Okay, just tell me!"

The Words jumbled out, until everything was said, hanging in the air.

Carly covered her mouth with both hands, in utter shock. She then reached for her purse, making noises of fret. "I have to call her." But Freddie, stopped her, talking her out of it. He felt numb, barely aware of what he was saying. When he paused, Carly spoke.

"Freddie…did Sam…break up with you?" Freddie hesitated for a split second. He knew they broke up. But he would not dare believe it was true. And saying it out loud made it real. So he lied, telling Carly they were just having one of their fights.

"Listen Carly, just go home and make sure she's there. Once Spencer knows, he can get in touch with whoever it is that tracks down people. You're going to have to talk to her because she'll hate me once she knows I told you.

Carly nodded, taking all of this in. "Has she been living alone all these months?"

"Well….technically, but she's been spending every night she wasn't with you, with me." Carly's eyes widened.

"She's been staying with you for months? How could I not have suspected anything until tonight?" And then her expression changed to hurt. "I can't believe Sam didn't tell me. I'm supposed to be her best friend."

"She knew you couldn't keep something like that hidden. It's not a bad thing…your just too good of a friend." He shrugged. "You should go. It's been over three hours since she left.

"Right," Carly said. "I'll just go get the guys. Brad can drop me off."

"Text me after you've talked to her. I'll call her later tonight. She won't answer but she has to know I want to talk to her."

"Okay. Yeah, sure. I'll talk to you later," She said, turning to leave.

"Bye." He waived her off, and started off in the direction of his own vehicle. On the way home he stopped by Sam's house just to make sure he hadn't gone there instead. She hadn't.

Just as he was getting onto the elevator in their building, he got text from Carly.

_ Sam's here. Pretending to Sleep. Going to use bacon to lure her out of my bed._

Before he reached his apartment, he got another text.

_Oh, and I told Spencer. He's on the phone with someone about finding her mom._

He quickly replied, and unlocked his door. It may have cost him the world, but knew he did what was right. He knew it was going to be a sleepless night.

:(Sorry, I had to do that. I know its sad, but i was inspired and this will only make them stronger in the end...new chapter up in about a week. :))))


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